Thursday, November 1, 2007

What is Andropause?

This post is for the aging man!
If you suffer from one or more of these conditions keep on reading:

Difficulty sleeping

Lack of Energy

Sexual Dysfunction/ Low Libido

Depression/ Anxiety

Irritability

Weight Gain

Excessive Sweating

Hair Loss

You would say- it's unavoidable to age whats the big deal, everybody is going trough it?

Yes it is unavoidable, but some people get hit harder than others. Their body,mind and spirit suffer from aging in a number of ways starting from the sex drive, trough depression and ending with their mental alertness. And exactly those people may be suffering from Andropause, just like millions of other men around the planet, without even knowing it.

A.k.a. "the male menopause", Andropause is the male's answer to female's menopause. While men are capable to reproduce later in life than women, they go through many physical and mental changes in the process of aging. But unlike female who's menopause is really unavoidable, not all men experience Andropause. They go through a steady testosterone decline, at a 10% loss every 10 years starting at 30, but with some the effect is more powerful than with others.

Testosterone is responsible for much more than just sexual drive, which is the first thing it is related to in most people's minds. Much more than your libido is at stake, in fact, there are only a few parts of your mind, body and spirit that are not affected by a lowering in testosterone levels.

Doctors have been aware of the condition and symptoms of Andropause since as early as the 1940s, but until recently there has not been a way to successfully diagnose it. A blood test can show us our testosterone levels, but the problem is that every male is different in the amounts of testosterone needed to function at his best. Blood tests also can't measure how much of that testosterone is readily available.

Sex Hormone Binding Globulin, or SHBG, which attaches itself to hormones like testosterone ,increases with age. This stops the testosterone from functioning as it should.

While bioavailable or non-free testosterone testing is possible, you can only do it in certain labs. This means that the way you feel is the best diagnosis.

Here are once again the symptoms of Andropause:

Difficulty sleeping

Lack of Energy

Sexual Dysfunction/ Low Libido

Depression/ Anxiety

Irritability

Weight Gain

Excessive Sweating

Hair Loss

The most clear symptom of Andropause, and the condition that is like a red flag for most men, is erectile dysfunction. Often they address this problem through prescription medication, rather than addressing the problem in its roots, living with the other negative symptoms.

Most men have the wrong impression that the symptoms of Andropause are just signs of aging. It's true that aging is often accompanied by these symptoms, but what distinguishes them is severity.

Some men undergo hormone replacement therapy, but that's a fairly drastic step and I would not recommended it unless its the only chance you have. Think about the alternative. You can increase your testosterone, naturally. While you all know that dieting and exercising, combined with good sleep and lower stress, is the key to superb health for men and women alike, it also boosts testosterone production.

Provacyl can also help. It's a combination of natural testosterone boosters available in pill
form that is designed to help men, reach their maximum potential. Using natural ingredients and supplements, Provacyl covers all your bases, from sexual dysfunction to mental alertness. You don't need a prescription, and there have been no reported side effects.

Disclaimer

I would like to state that I am not a certified doctor, nutritionist or aging expert. All of the advice and recommendetions are just this- advice based on personal experience and not on education. My goal is to help you become the best version of yourself by being healthy and strong both mentally and physically. However what you do after reading the information in this blog is up to you. Thank you for reading and good luck!